Impact of Opioid-Related Emergencies on First Responders

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As opioid-related overdoses continue to mount and chronic pain patients lose access to opioid medications, first responders may increasingly be called to assist people with opioid use disorders and/or chronic pain. For instance, a newspaper article reported that a man overdosed four times in one afternoon and needed five doses of naloxone from first responders. In an online survey, some respondents considered a chronic pain patient running out of pain medication a reason to call an ambulance. Yet, there is strikingly little research on what it is like for first responders to respond to opioid-related emergencies. In collaboration with the Columbus Division of Fire, this project will conduct qualitative interviews by phone with willing first responders in Columbus Ohio, to better understand their experiences handling opioid-related emergencies in high-risk communities. Findings may help contextualize how public health strategies for opioid use disorders and chronic pain are managed at the first responder level. Additionally, we may gain insights about how to equip first responders to handle these high-stakes calls and their aftermath more effectively.